Dispenser for pressure sensitive tape



ApriT 13, 1954 H. KRUEGER 2,675,077

DISPENSER FOR PRESSURE SENSITIVE TAPE Filed Jan. 17, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet l 3 I Summer 72000020 K190566763 Gttomegs April 13, 1954 KRUEGER 2,675,077

DISPENSER FOR PRESSURE SENSITIVE TAPE Filed Jan. 17, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 fins-000.05 fiKKa/EGEK 2/ 70% M, QM (Iltomegs Patented Apr. 13, 1954 DISPENSER FOR PRESSURE SENSITIVE TAPE Theodore H. Krueger, Stratford, Conn, asslgnor to Better Packages Incorporated, a, corporation of New York Application January 17, 1948, Serial No. 2,883

7 Claims. 1

This invention has to do with the dispensing of pressure sensitive tape, and more particularly with apparatus for feeding the tape out a measured distance, and for then leaving the fed out tape bridged between adhesion members in a position adapting it for easy manual removal and for severance.

It is a primary object of the invention to provide for the secure attachment of the tape to a movable adhesion member throughout the feeding of the tape, but to provide for easy normal detachment of the tape when the feeding has been completed.

To this end it is a point that the movable adhesion member, provided with an operating handle, is rockably mounted upon its carrier. Initial operation of the handle in feeding direction rocks the movable adhesion member forward, so that the adhesion surface thereof makes an angle of more than 180 with the length of the tape immediately behind it, thereby introducing a snubbing action for reducing the pull applied to that portion of the tape which is in contact with the adhesion surface of the movable adhesion member. When the carrier has been arrested and locked in forward position, the handle is released and the movable adhesion member is automatically returned to its original attitude relative to the carrier so that its adhesion surface makes an angle of substantially less than 180 with the adjacent tape, thus facilitating the detachment of the tape from the adhesion surface by the mere expedient of seizing the tape behind the movable adhesion member and pulling it in a direction to break the adhesion at its forward end.

It is a particular object of the invention to provide, in combination, a rotary adhesion roller, an adhesion member movable toward and from the roller, a carrier for the movable adhesion member, and means for arresting the advance of the carrier and looking it in an advanced position to cause the tape to be presented in a definite position for convenient manual detachment from the movable adhesion member.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide an apparatus of the kind referred to in the preceding paragraph in which the leading end of the tape, when detached from the movable adhesion member and swung out from it, will encounter a yieldable tear-off knife, which in response to the tear-off pressure of the tape, will act to unlock the carrier and cause it to be returned to the normal or starting position.

Other objects and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the drawing which forms part of this specification and which illustrates a practical and advantageous embodiment of the invention:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of the illustrative mechanism;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the principal parts with the tape feeder in the normal or starting position;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary plan view, partly broken away, of the apparatus illustrated in Fig. 2;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary view in front elevation of the dispenser;

.; operation.

The dispenser comprises upright side plates l and 2, each of which is provided with out-turned ears 3 upon which front and rear rubber feet 4 are mounted. A bottom plate 5 which may be integral with the plate I, or which may be made unitary with it in any suitable manner, is connected through a hinge 5 with the side plate 2. An upper spacer plate 1 fast with the plate I is adapted to engage the plate 2 and. to arrest turning of the plate 2 with the plate in substantially an upright attitude parallel to the plate I. The plate 2 is normally maintained in contact with the plate 1 by the weight of the dispenser.

A tape carrying wheel 8 is revolubly mounted upon a shaft 9, the shaft being supported by the plate I. The wheel 8 comprises a brake drum portion ll) of relatively large diameter, and a tape supporting hub ll of smaller diameter. A roll l2 of pressure sensitive tape wound with its gummed side inward is slipped on to the hub H and has its end portion i3 detached and laid over a rotatable adhesion roller l4, which roller is mounted upon a pin l5 ailixed to the plate I.

The tape, after passing over the adhesion roller I4, is caused to pass beneath a backing member l6 of felt or other suitable cushioning material. The member i6 is mounted upon a stationary plate H, which plate is carried by a stationary bracket It. The plate I8 is held in fixed position by the stationary pin l5 upon which the ad is adapted to rock. At, or substantially at, said a axis the adhesion surface terminates abruptly in a straight edge formed by the intersection of the adhesion surface with" a second, inactive radial surface which, as shown, meets it at a right angle. The exact magnitude'of the dihedral angle formed by the meeting surfaces of the adhesion member is not important, but it is im-' portant that the active surface be capable of being tilted. substantially out of line with the following tape without causing the tape to become adhered to the inactive surface more than along the very edge thereof. The adhesion member 20 has unitary with it a crank 23 upon which an operating handle 24 is carried.

A coil spring 2ii'surrounds the hub portion of theadhesion member 25, having one end engaged with a stop 23 which is provided on the arm 2!, and having the opposite end engaged with the 0121113123. The spring 2515 a light spring which urges the adhesion member toward the left as the parts are illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3, with the crank: in engagement with a stop .28. This locates the adhesion member if in its normal or at rest" position ready for the beginning of a feeding operation, as best shown in Fig. 2. in this position the adhesion surface of the adhesion member 20 bears continuously against the leading end of the tape I3 which is supported bythe member I6. A coil spring 29 is wrapped around the shaft 22 and has one of its ends disposed in engagement with the brake drum Ill, and its opposite end wrapped around the lower edge of the carrier 21a for urging the carrier in a counter-'- clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 2, toward thestar-ting position;

The spring 29 is considerably stiffer than the spring 25, so that when the handle Ed is seized and pulled in a forward or feeding directiortc'the first consequence is a rocking of the adhesion member 28 relative to its carrier, through an angle. of about 46 to the position illustrated in Fig. 5. The forward rocking of the adhesion member 20 is arrested by engagement of the crank 23' with a stop 35. on the arm 2!. The making forward of the adhesion member fiiforms an obtuse angle in the tape at the gummed side thereof, so that a snubbing action is taken advantage of. during the pulling forward of the tapewhich immediately follows.

The tape can be pulled off the adhesion surface easily'by pulling it in adirection. away from the surface, because then the tape pulls loose progressively,a little at a time. The tape would As soon as the crank 23 engages the stop 30 the advance of the carrier begins. The carrier is swung forward (clockwise) until it is arrested by engagement with an adjustable stop pin 3 I. The stop pin 3| is formed with a collar 32 and with a threaded end 33, the latter end being desirably formed with flats: which fitbetween the opposite walls of' an arcuate slot 34 formed in the plate I. The stop pin 3I is set in a desired position and is then clamped in place by the turning of a wing nut. 35 into clamping relation with the collar 32. The carrier 2 Ia'is formed with a series of ratchet teeth 36 which are adapted to coact with a pawl 31 for lockingthe carrier in the advanced position in which it has been arrested. The ratchet teeth extend over aconsiderable arc of the carrier, so that the carrier can be locked in various positions in which it may be arrested by the stop pin 3|.

So long as a forward pull is maintained upon the handle 24 the crank 23 is maintained in engagementwith the pin 39 of the arm ZI. As soon as the advance of the carrier is arrested by the stop pin 3|, however, the handle is released and the adhesion member 2a is swung back by the light spring 25 to the position in which it is i1- side of the tape.

' front of the machine, a illustrated in Fig. '7.

The pawl 31- is made fast upon a knife support C 5, the knife support being provided with cars it by which it ispivotally mounted ona horizontal pin 41. The pin 4'! is rigidly supported upon the side plate I. The support 45 has a downturned forward end portion it upon which a tear-off knife 49 is rigidly secured. A coil spring as has one end engaged beneath the stationary plate I! and it opposite end engaged with the pawl 31, the tendency of the spring being to urge the pawl 31 rearward and to urge the support 45 downward into contact with the plate II.

As the carrierfI is advanced, the teeth 36 engage the end of the pawl 31 and cam it aside, rocking the pawl and the carrier 45 a slight amount in a counterclockwise direction, as the parts are viewed in Figs; 2, 5, 6 and '7. As each forwardly travelling tooth clears the pawl, the pawl snaps into the space behind the tooth to prevent retraction of the carrier.

When the carrier has been arrested, and the tape has been detached from the adhesion member 23, as illustrated in Fig. 7, the tape is swung upward and into engagement with the tear-off knife &9. The pressure of the tape against the knife causes the support 45 and the pawl 3'! to swing counterclockwise until the support has been moved: into engagement with a stop pin 5|. This disengages the pawl. from the ratchet teeth 36 and permits the carrierto be returned to starting position. Return movement of the carrier isarrestedby the adhesion member 20 striking through the tape against the stop cushion I6, so that the tapew becomes adhered to. the adhesion member 20. for the next feeding step.

After they arresting, of the support 45 by the pin 51, the continued pull upon the tape causes the tape. to be severed. by the knife 49. As soon as th'eseverance ofthe tape is. complete the support 45 returns to the normal or starting position with the parts in the positions illustrated in Fig. 2.

In certain of the claims manual actuation is referred to. The term manual is used in a comprehensive sense and is intended to include operation by the foot or other part of the body.

While I have illustrated and described in detail one preferred form of my invention, it is to be understood that changes may be made therein and the invention embodied in other structures. I do not, therefore, desire to limit myself to the specific construction illustrated, but intend to cover my invention broadly in whatever form its principles may be utilized.

I claim:

1. A dispenser for pressure sensitive tape, comprising, in combination, an adhesion roller, a movable adhesion member having an operating handle for drawing tape out across the roller, a carrier for the adhesion member upon which the adhesion member is rockably mounted, a relatively light spring member urging the movable adhesion member in an anti-feed direction relative to the carrier, a relatively strong spring member urging the carrier in anti-feed direction toward a normal or starting position, and locking mechanism for detaining the carrier in an advanced position when a desired length of tape has been fed out, and holding it in such position until the fed length is removed, the adhesion surface of the movable adhesion member acting when rocked forward by movement of the operating handle at the start of a. feeding operation to form an obtuse angle in the tape at the gummed side thereof, so that the benefit of a snubbing action is obtained during feeding, but

acting when released at the conclusion of feeding to reverse the bend of the tape so that the obtuse angle is formed at the non-gummed side of the tape, thereby to facilitate detachment of the tape from the adhesion surface.

2. A dispenser for pressure sensitive tape, comprising, in combination, an adhesion roller, a movable adhesion member for drawing the tape out across the roller, a carrier for the adhesion member, a spring member urging the carrier in anti-feed direction toward a normal or start ing position, locking mechanism effective throughout a substantial portion of the maximum available range of movement of the carrier for detaining the carrier against retrograde movement in an advanced position when a desired length of tape has been fed out, and holding it in such position until the fed length is removed and a settable stop for mechanically limiting such feeding, and measuring the extent thereof.

3. A dispenser for pressure sensitive tape, comprising, in combination, a support for a roll of tape, an adhesion roller, an adhesion member for drawing the tape out across the roller, a pivoted carrier lever for the adhesion member upon which the adhesion member is rockably mounted, a handle on the adhesion member, said handle and adhesion member having limited rocking movement whereby operation of the handle will first rock the adhesion member on the carrier and then move the carrier about its pivot, a relatively light spring for rocking the adhesion member back to its initial position relatively to the carrier lever when pressure is released from the handle, a relatively heavy spring for returning the carrier lever to its initial position, look-- ing mechamsm for detaining the carrier in an advanced position with a length of tape extended between the adhesion roller and the rockable adhesion member and means for releasing said locking mechanism.

4. A dispenser as claimed in claim 3 in which the lock releasing means includes a movable knife which is actuated by the pressure of severing a piece of tape thereagainst to release the carrier locking mechanism and permit it to return to imtial position.

5. A dispenser as claimed in claim 3 in which a stop is mounted adjacent to the adhesion roller, said stop cooperating with the adhesion member when it is returned to its initial position by the carrier lever to press the end of the tape into engagement with said adhesion member.

6. In a dispenser for pressure sensitive tape, a casing having a dispensing opening therein accessible to the fingers of the operator, a support in the casing for a roll of tape, guiding means for supporting the tape drawn from the roll in a position ad acent to the dispensing opening, a movable adhesion member for drawing the tape over said guiding means across the dispensing opening, a carrier for said adhesion member, a spring for urging the carrier in an antifeed direction toward the normal or starting position, and manually releasable latch means for temporarily detaining the carrier in an advanced position with the length of tape to be dispensed stretched ad- Jacent to said dispensing opening where it may be grasped for removal.

'7. In a dispenser for pressure sensitive tape, a casing having a dispensing opening therein accessible to the fingers of the operator, a support in the casing for a roll of tape, guiding means for supporting the tape drawn from the roll in a position adjacent to the dispensing opening, a movable adhesion member for drawing the tape over said guiding means across the dispensing opening, a carrier for said adhesion. member, a spring for urging the carrier in an antifeed direction toward the normal or starting position, releasable locking means for temporarily detaining the carrier in an advanced position with the desired length of tape to be dispensed stretched adjacent to said dispensing opening, a tear-off knife mounted adjacent to said dispensing opening against which the length of tape to be dispensed may be torn off after it is detached from said adhesion member, a movable mounting for said tear-off knife, and an operative connection between said movable mounting and said locking means whereby movement of the tear-off knife caused by tearing off the tape will move said tear-01f knife and release said locking means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Re. 22,972 Fritzinger Feb. 10, 1948 574,780 Britton Jan. 5, 1897 900,335 Williams Oct. 6, 1908 2,156,502 Lawton May 2, 1939 2,364,051 Berridge Dec. 5, 1944 2,366,971 Krieger Jan. 9, 1945 2,454,844 Sharpe Nov. 30, 1948 

